Grand Canyon University
No. 6 Mustangs Defeat GCU to Advance to NCAA Championship Quarterfinals
5/1/2026 6:50:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
GULF SHORES, Ala. – It was a strong start Friday for the Cal Poly beach volleyball team at the NCAA Championship, defeating No. 11 Grand Canyon 3-0 in the first round to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
The No. 6 Mustangs had a battle with the No. 11 Lopes with three of the matches going to a third set. Cal Poly’ s No. 4 pair of Julia Westby and Elise Lenahan started things off strong with a 21-16, 21-14 win to put the Mustangs on the board first.
A short time later, Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep took care of business at the No. 1 spot, winning their match in straight sets, 21-12, 21-17 to put the Mustangs up 2-0. After they won, all three other pairs were starting third and deciding sets.
After back-and-forth battles at the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 spots, it was the No. 2 pair of Izzy Martinez and Logan Walter being the pair that won first, just ahead of the No.5 pair of Peyton Dueck and Katie Clevenger. Martinez and Walter won their third set 15-10 to clinch the duel for Cal Poly.
With their wins, Westby and Lenahan are now 29-3 on the year together and have won nine in a row. Connor and Inskeep are 32-5 on the year and Martinez and Walter are now an NCAA-leading 35-3 as a duo.
Cal Poly is now set to face No. 3 UCLA in the quarterfinals Saturday at 10 a.m. PT/12 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The winner will move on to Saturday’s semifinal match at 12:30 p.m. PT/2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2/ESPN+ against the winner of No. 2 Texas/No. 7 LMU.
